Nanyue

Nanyue was an ancient kingdom in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam, founded in 204 BC by Zhao Tuo, a former Qin commander who took control of the Lingnan region after the Qin collapse. Its capital was Panyu, the site of modern Guangzhou, and its territory covered Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, parts of Fujian and the Red River delta. Nanyue was ruled by five generations of Zhao kings, who paid nominal respect to the Han court while acting as independent rulers and calling themselves emperors. The kingdom blended Qin administrative practice with local Yue customs and encouraged Han migration and trade. In 113 BC King Zhao Xing tried to bring Nanyue formally into the Han Empire; his prime minister Lu Jia killed him and installed Zhao Jiande, provoking a Han invasion. Emperor Wu sent a large army, and by the end of 111 BC Nanyue had been destroyed and absorbed into the Han Empire. In Vietnamese tradition its rulers are remembered as the Trieu dynasty.